For the sixth successive time this season Sandal RUFC failed to secure a victory with Scunthorpe RFC providing the opposition. The two clubs last came together two seasons ago before the visiting club secured promotion to National League 2 North, but relegation saw their return to Regional 1 North East, being the reason for this contest. The home side was well aware of the task they were facing against a side holding fourth place in the league, with the need to be at the top of their game if anything was to be gained from the encounter.
​In the event it was a game of two halves with the final score giving Scunthorpe a deserved 50-24 victory. The first half started well for Sandal, playing against the slope, with early pressure being applied for the first seven minutes in their opposition’s half, but try as they might a score failed to be posted. Scunthorpe were then awarded a penalty which gave them the opportunity to take possession down field and following good inter-passing and poor Sandal defence their first converted try was scored to take a 7-nil lead in the12th minute. This score was quickly followed by another to take their lead to 12-nil. However, in the 23rd minute Sandal hit back with an Oliver Farrar try but with the conversion missing its target the lead remained with the visitors at 12-5. But that was the point at which Sandal’s hope of securing a victory was lost because all future attacking play came from Scunthorpe, with the home side’s defence proving to be sadly lacking. Leading up to half time the visitors produced a seven-minute purple patch by adding four more tries to their score between the 31st and 38th minute, of which three were converted, to give them an unassailable 38-5 lead at the interval.
​ As one might have expected the second half did not augur well for the Sandal side but whatever they were told at half time did produce a much-improved performance to take the half with a creditable 19-12 lead. The half was only two minutes old when Will Forrest gathered a slipped pass to score in the bottom corner and with Mihali Joannou adding the conversion Sandal were showing signs of recovery having reduced their opponents lead to 38-12. Using several penalties to advantage the home side made ground well into the Scunthorpe half and from a resulting line-out Karolis Navickas gathered and ran off the set piece to score his maiden try to reduce Sandal’s points deficit again taking the score to 38-17 after 53 minutes. A further 17 minutes then elapsed without a score from either side, proving Sandal’s ability to compete and produce effective defensive play but as fatigue set in Scunthorpe proved their supremacy by scoring two further tries after 73 and 75 minutes to take their lead to 50-17. All that was left for Sandal now was to strive to score a fourth try for a bonus point and this they did using to effect penalty kicks to touch. It was in the 80th minute that from a line- out in the visitors 22 a rolling maul was set from which Mihali Joannou received the ball with sufficient room to touch down and with Joe Potter adding the extras the side had secured the much-needed bonus point, whilst losing the fixture to a superior Scunthorpe side by 50-24. On the upside Sandal’s second half defence application was significant, which had this been shown earlier in the game the final result may have been different. However, one final observation which might be expressed was that player exchanges during the half seemed to provide an improved resilience to Scunthorpe’s apparent superiority, but notwithstanding Sandal is still securely locked in the bottom league position.

​​​​​​​​Written by Howard Newton